ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · bowl · kid · date · wax · stem · perch · bay

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wax — to grow
  9. perch — the fish
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. root — the cause
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. date — the fruit
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. kid — child
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bowl — a football final

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com